The Georgia Hour, episode 29: Georgia GOP Power Plays and Tort Reform Tangles

Georgia’s Republican Party dynamics and legislative battles. Josh McKoon, current GA GOP chair, faces a challenge from 2nd Vice Chair David Cross, who’s campaigning openly for the top spot. Meanwhile, State Senator Steve Gooch’s “America First” license plate bill, which failed last year, is back on the table. Speculation swirls around Governor Brian Kemp’s potential Senate run against Ossoff, though he’s delaying any announcement until after the legislative session, seen as the linchpin holding Georgia’s GOP together. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper emerges as a Senate contender, bolstered by his Trump loyalty and a strategic NRSC visit in D.C., unlike another unnamed Georgian whose recent NRSC trip flopped.The spotlight then shifts to Kemp’s tort reform bill, a career-defining push mired in controversy. Described as corrupt and lobbyist-drafted, the vague, 60+ page legislation has sparked resistance from trial attorneys and judges. A dramatic Senate moment—where Bo Hatchett’s amendment passed—may have been orchestrated by Kemp’s office to save face, though the bill now faces the House. Speaker Jon Burns rerouted it from Judiciary Chair Stan Gunter, a judge, to subcommittee chair Rob Leverett, a real estate attorney, signaling Kemp’s intent to silence North Georgia dissent amid threats of primary challenges from powerful litigators.Elsewhere, AG Chris Carr backs Trump’s transgender surgery executive order, while tensions flare between BKP and John Fredericks over GA GOP interviews, with Fredericks accused of meddling due to his McKoon ties. Finally, Kandiss Taylor’s flip-flop from Kemp critic to supporter risks making her a media-anointed GOP figurehead, potentially fracturing party majorities. The episode paints a picture of ambition, infighting, and legislative subterfuge in Georgia’s political arena.